No Compromise by Rochelle Alers

Author:Rochelle Alers [Alers, Rochelle]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction
ISBN: 9781426806995
Google: 7fXItAXr-noC
Amazon: B000W968BY
Publisher: Kimani Press
Published: 2007-09-02T04:00:00+00:00

Jolene leaned back on a cushioned teakwood chair and closed her eyes. The aroma of grilled meat lingered in the humid night air. It was the first week in September, yet the summer heat and humidity hadn’t abated.

Lighted candles in several Kobi lanterns bathed the garden in an eerie glow. She and Michael had decided to eat under a pergola with an overhang of grape leaves. He’d grilled steaks to succulent perfection while she’d prepared a salad of field greens with a vinaigrette dressing. She’d opted for a rice pilaf instead of baked potatoes. He’d shown her how to use a pair of black lacquer chopsticks, but she’d wound up leaving more food on the plate than in her mouth. The sound of a cat’s howling, the incessant chirping of crickets, and the intermittent hooting of an owl were magnified in the stillness of the night.

“It sounds as if that cat’s in heat,” she said softly.

The cat’s not the only one in heat, Michael thought.

He’d spent the past hour and a half feasting on Jolene’s beauty. They’d lingered over dinner, neither wanting the evening to end. He was so relaxed that he could’ve spent the night in the garden, sleeping on one of the loungers. She offered him a chance to love and capture the peace that had always seemed to evade him.

He smiled when he saw her conceal a yawn behind her fingers. Raising his arm, he stole a glance at his watch. It was nearly ten. “Why don’t you go in and get ready for bed?”

Her eyes opened, meeting his gaze, his eyes glowing in the darkness like a cat’s. “I’ll go after I help you clean up.”

Pushing back, he came around the table and placed a hand under her armpit, easing her gently to her feet. “I’ll clean up. You’re the one who has to go to work tomorrow.”

Leaning forward, she rested her forehead on his shoulder. “I keep forgetting you’re a goldbrick.”

He curved a hand around the back of her head, dropping a kiss on her hair. “Don’t you forget that this goldbrick loves you.”

Rising on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss to his smiling mouth. “I don’t think you’ll ever let me forget it.”

His smile widened. “How right you are.”

He released her, watching as she walked back into the house and disappeared from his line of vision before he began the task of clearing the table and taking everything into the kitchen. It didn’t take him long to rinse dishes and pots, stacking them in the dishwasher. Then he put out the garbage and set the alarm. His footsteps were silent as he mounted the staircase for the last time that night.

The soft sound of classical music coming from the stereo unit in the sitting area of his bedroom greeted him as he walked in, his gaze fixed on the king-sized bed. Jolene had changed the radio station from his favorite one featuring contemporary jazz. She lay on her side, one arm thrown over her head.

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